Reference Point

REFERENCE POINT Volume 6, Issue 2 UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES’ NEWSLETTER • OCTOBER 2009 Presents from the past Clarke collection connects women to family history Hand-written letters and old family photographs clutter a table in the Clarke Historical Library. Corky Evans Hyatt is spending the day with her father. There are tales about reckless things he did in his youth. Stories about his family life. “My father died more than 30 years ago,” she says, holding one of his letters. “Reading these, I can still hear his voice in a way.“ Hyatt of St. Louis, Mo., and her cousin Kathy Evans Collins of Indianapolis sorted through 40 boxes of the library’s “John Pollie Collection” in late summer. Pollie’s Aunt Rosie was grandmother to Corky Evans-Hyatt, left, and her cousin Kathy Evans Collins find both Hyatt and Collins. family photos and letters at the Clarke Historical Library. Pollie owned a circus in the early 1900s and later operated carnival games. Some of the Pollie collection is on display in the Clarke through January 2010 for the “Rides and Spangles: Michigan Circuses and Carnivals” exhibit. Because of the current exhibit, the women found out via the Internet that the Clarke has a rich collection – almost 100 years worth – of their family history. “I lived with my grandmother for a while,” says Hyatt. “She always had great stories. I wanted to do something – like write a book – on Grandma Rosie’s life, but I couldn’t find enough information. Well, that has just changed.” The two women say they have been seeking out family history for decades. And for the past 10 years, they have taken weeklong genealogy trips, which they call their “girl getaways.” But they had never found information as extensive as what the Clarke has. “I have stumbled across diaries that belonged to someone else’s family before, and I thought, ‘Why couldn’t that have been from our family?’” Hyatt says. “But look – now we have 40 boxes of family letters and photos. I think that beats any diary.” • Come one, come all! Turn to page 4 for more information on the Clarke Historical Library’s “Rides and Spangles: Michigan Circuses and Carnivals” exhibit. Dean’s Column Beyond the books and journals REFERENCE POINT Reference Point is published Libraries provide central location biannually by University Libraries. for university resources Address questions and suggestions to: Often I’ve described our beautiful Park Library as a library and Office of the Dean center for selected academic support services. Indeed, one of its 407D Park Library distinguishing strengths is that in it there are, in addition to great Central Michigan University library collections and wonderfully helpful library staff, several Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 excellent services that in complementary ways contribute to the common enterprise of Park Library, which is assisting faculty Editorial Board teaching and research and student learning and success. Thomas J. Moore Dean of Libraries The Help Desk is CMU’s centralized provider of technology support for on- and off-campus students, faculty, and staff. Nearby, Richard Cochran Tom Moore Associate Dean of Libraries Media Services offers a broad spectrum of audiovisual resources, especially equipment and videos/DVDs, for classroom and course- Jodi A. Robinette related activities. Both services are operated by the Office of Information Technology. Director of Development Gerry Edgar Also supporting the use of learning technology, but going well beyond, are FaCIT – the Manager, Library Business Services Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching – and CID – the Center for Instructional Design – Reference Point Coordinator which is a part of CMU’s extensive Off-Campus Programs. Together these units supply to faculty a comprehensive array of teaching consultation, training, instructional development, Production and multimedia production services. Their goal is to aid faculty in the use of best practices CMU Public Relations and Marketing for teaching and learning – in classrooms and online, and on campus in Mount Pleasant and off campus at many dozens of CMU sites in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Writers Nicole Burdiss Services for students Tracy Burton, ’02 Sarah Chuby, ’03 Two services offered directly to students are the Writing Center and Student Disability Levi Conley, ‘09 Services. The Writing Center, one of four locations on campus, provides students with peer Dan Digmann writing assistance on site and online. As a broad goal, the Writing Center aims to nurture Editor “a culture of writing” at CMU, just as the Libraries aim to support a culture of reading and Dan Digmann information use. For students with disabilities or temporary impairments, Student Disability Services assists full participation in the learning and growth opportunities of the university. Designer Amy Gouin Both also provide substantial help to faculty in working with students. Photographers What one can find in Park Library, then, beyond the books and journals and other Robert Barclay information resources typically found in libraries, is an unusually rich constellation of Peggy Brisbane talent and collaborative relationships, with beneficial Printing effects radiating outwardly across the campus and 2 CMU Printing Services across the widespread geographic and virtual range of the CMU community. For me it’s a daily pleasure to Libraries’ Web Site share in the combined efforts and special collegiality www.lib.cmich.edu of librarians, technologists, various types of learning specialists, faculty, students, and support staff. Academic Year In this issue of Reference Point you’ll learn about some Library Hours of the many other worthwhile things that occur in the Mon - Thurs: 7:50 a.m. - Midnight CMU Libraries. Let us know your comments and, if you Fri: 7:50 a.m. - 8 p.m. have them, your questions. Sat: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun: Noon - Midnight Reference Desk Tom Moore 989-774-3470 Dean of Libraries [email protected] CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity within its community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo). UComm 8132-4,275 (10/09) Dean’s Column Research and Writing Nights Cultures in counterpoint Consultants assist students Washington Post’s Arana with course projects presents at Friends luncheon Reference librarians from the University Library Acclaimed writer and critic Marie Arana says her big break in life and from Off-Campus Library Services and came when she grew up surrounded by two different cultures – the Writing Center staff teamed up last spring her father was from Peru, her mother was from the United States. to help students with their research papers “It was a big break, indeed,” Arana told the nearly 100 people through a service called Research and Writing attending the annual Friends of the Libraries event early last Nights. Reference and writing consultants summer in the Park Library Auditorium. helped students perform research and integrate the findings into their writing. In her keynote presentation – “The Writer and the Critic: Making a Life and Career Between Two Unfriendly Cultures” – Arana shared This service is again being made available this stories of how her childhood experiences in Lima, Peru, and then fall, says Mary Ann Crawford, director of the in Summit, New Jersey, helped prepare her for her career. Writing Center that has one of its four on- campus locations in Park Library. Arana is a writer-at-large for the Washington Post and was editor of the newspaper’s discontinued Book World section. She also “Writing is a communicative act,” she says. is the author of books, “It’s important for any writer to receive including “Lima Nights” feedback.” and “American Chica,” a The service will be available the end of fall memoir of her Peruvian- semester on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday American upbringing that during weeks 13 and 14. was a 2001 National Book CMU English faculty member Brooke Harrison Award finalist. is thrilled with the new service and sees it as a As challenging as it was significant stride in the center’s program. juggling two cultures as “Every once in a while you see a program child, Arana says it’s been make a big leap, and I see this as a big leap even trickier being a critic forward,” Harrison says. and a writer. In addition to the Research and Writing Nights “It’s like being the fox and program, students and faculty members the hound … Dr. Jekyll and interested in using the Writing Center’s Mr. Hyde,” she says. “A life as a critic and a writer isn’t Washington Post writer Marie Arana, left, visits services can schedule an appointment or come with Rebeca Torres-Rivera at the annual Friends in during walk-in hours. • easy, but I wouldn’t have it of the Libraries luncheon. any other way.”• Write on You’re invited In Park Library, the Writing 3 The CMU Friends of the Libraries is a Center is located in the northwest corner of the fourth membership organization that supports floor. – through contributions and volunteer activities – the programs of the University Regular hours Library, the Clarke Historical Library and 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday Off-Campus Library Services. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday- Members of this group receive special Thursday invitations to: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday • Library-sponsored and Friends of the Telephone Libraries events 989-774-2986 • Behind-the-scenes library tours and more Online Become a Friend of the Libraries today: www.chsbs.cmich.edu/ Call 989-774-3500 writing_center Welcome to the Big Top ‘It was more than just a show’ Decades of carnival and circus life on exhibit The people who entertain at circuses and carnivals always attract attention – from claiming the title of “World’s Only One-legged Aerial Clown” to a psychic who would pay $200 if she could not read your future.

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